Youth Housing:Anthropological Turn

The article explores tendencies in contemporary Youth Housing (Ungdomsboliger) in Denmark through a comparative analysis of a number of recent examples including, Håndværkskollegiet Herning (Dorte Mandrup), Harmonikahusene (EFFEKT) & Pulse N (Panum & Kappel). A number of lessons are drawn out from the examples of Youth Housing above, which have a relevance far beyond their specific building typology. Firstly, the agency that small acts of spatial generosity can have within a compact floor area. For example, maximising the perceived ceiling heights throughout Pulse N, the inhabitable bay windowscapes of Harmonikahusene, and the rich spatial articulation of the apartments in Håndværkskollegiet. Secondly, the value in providing shared spaces that can accommodate a broad variety of programmatic uses, while supporting both formal, and informal social interactions. Notably in Pulse N and Harmonikahusene, the common facilities that can be reserved by individual residents for their own personal use. Careful attention has also been placed on providing the residents with inhabitable threshold spaces, where spontaneous, and informal interactions can occur, particularly in Håndværkskollegiet and Harmonikahusene. Lastly, as people must get used to reducing their resource consumption, including the amount of space that they inhabit, the examples above remind us of the importance of the spatial qualities (m3) provided to inhabitants, rather than treating absolute floor area (m2) as a metric for the virtue of our homes.